The Return Of Jareth
by Genni Stanfer
Summary: Follows right after the film. Jareth traps Sarah with two choices . . . return to the Underground with him or face the Labyrinth again to win her freedom. She denies her feelings for him and chooses the Labyrinth. Thinking she already solved it once, twice should be no problem, only what she doesn't realize is that everything has changed, even Jareth. As a new threat rises can both
1. Chapter 1

This follows right after the film. Jareth traps Sarah with two choices . . . return to the Underground with him or face the Labyrinth again to win her freedom. She denies her feelings for him and chooses the Labyrinth. Thinking she already solved it once, twice should be no problem, only what she doesn't realize is that everything has changed, even Jareth. As a new threat rises can both Jareth and Sarah defeat it before its too late.

**Disclaimer: **

All Labyrinth related themes and characters belong to Jim Henson Productions etc. and are not mine. All songs belong to David Bowie. Both are used for fan-fiction purposes only and with the utmost respect.

Thanks to all who worked on and off the camera to make Labyrinth a treasured fantasy film for so many, including me.

Songs used (in order of appearance):

"As the World Falls Down" written by David Bowie

"Fascination" written by David Bowie and Luther Vandross

"Win" written by David Bowie

"Let's Dance" written by David Bowie

"Thursday's Child" written by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels

"Absolute Beginners" written by David Bowie

"When I Live My Dream" written by David Bowie

Some songs may be slightly altered from their original version to make more sense with the story.

THE RETURN OF JARETH (2001) (follows right after the film)

By: Genni Stanfer

Sarah couldn't believe what had just happened. It was all like a dream. But was it a bad dream or a good dream. . . She couldn't say for sure. Parts of it were bad and parts of it were good. She had made new friends in the Labyrinth and at least she did learn some things from her experience. One thing was for sure, she was never going to say _it's not fair_ again . . . **ever**.

Sarah lay in her bed completely exhausted, but she couldn't stop thinking about Jareth. The way he stood undefiably, menacing before her with such power. He controlled everything and everyone . . . and yet how gentle, beautiful, and graceful he could be as well . . . like at the ball . . . then in the end his pleading, his pain . . . he could be so cold and harsh yet warm and kind. . . . with her thoughts she drifted off to sleep.

First she noticed everything was white. She was even wearing white. Sarah was in a room with large marble pillars holding up a ceiling so high she couldn't even see it. There was a sort of fog in the air. It rolled across the cold stone floor beneath her bare feet. The eerie silence around her made a chill run up her spine. She saw a large mirror in front of her and went up to it. Looking in, behind her she caught a glimpse of white feathers. She turned and saw a barn owl swooping towards her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She swirled around and tried to run, but she was moving in slow motion. She could feel the owl's icy stare upon her back like a knife. He was closing in, his razor sharp talons outstretched. . . . _You are mine!_ A familiar haunting voice called inside her head.

Sarah tried to run faster but she tripped and fell slowly to the marble floor . . . then, just before she hit it, everything suddenly changed. It just cut out like someone had changed the channel on a T.V. It was as if something . . . or someone had taken control of her dream. The fog was gone and the owl with it. Lying on the floor Sarah now wore the beautiful gown from Jareth's ball. She noticed a gloved hand in front of her face and she looked up. It was Jareth. He was smiling down on her warmly. She accepted his offer to let him help her to her feet. She noticed he also wore his ballroom outfit.

"Hello, Sarah," he said.

"Hi," she replied nervously.

"Would you care to dance?" He gestured to the dance floor, invitingly.

Well, since he asked politely she saw no reason to refuse. What else was she going to do anyway? She smiled back and took his hand. He guided her to the dance floor and sang sweetly to her as they danced.

"There's such a sad love,

Deep in your eyes

A kind of pale jewel,

Opened and closed within your eyes

I'll place the sky within your eyes

There's such a fooled heart,

Beating so fast

In search of new dreams,

A love that will last within your heart

I'll place the moon within your heart

As the things sweep through

Make no sense for you

Every thrill is gone

Wasn't too much fun at all

But I'll be there for you

As the world falls down

Falling, falling, falling in love

I'll paint you mornings of gold

I'll spin you Valentine evenings

Though were strangers for now,

We're choosing a path between the stars

I'll lay my love between the stars

As the things sweep through

Make no sense for you

Every thrill is gone

Wasn't too much fun at all

But I'll be there for you

As the world falls down

Falling, falling, falling in love

Falling in love . . . falling in love . . ."

There were no others around this time, just the beauty of it all. _This has to be a dream._ She thought. _ A wonderful dream. _He finished singing, but the melody continued on. He leaned forward to kiss her and she didn't refuse. She closed her eyes and leaned closer . . .

Just then Sarah's alarm clock went off. She snapped awake. "It was just a dream," she said to herself. She kind of wished her alarm hadn't gone off just yet . . . She shook her head. _What am I thinking?_ She had completely forgotten the first part of her dream. If fact she couldn't remember it at all because it was being blocked from her memory . . . Sarah got out of bed and stumbled drowsily to her dresser. That's when she saw it.

Upon her dresser sat a crystal ball. Fully awake now, she picked it up and examined it. For a chilling second she thought she saw Jareth's image reflected in it, but it must have been her imagination. She knew it was from Jareth, but she had no clue how it got in her room. _Although we are talking about Jareth, _she reminded herself. She wanted to smash it on the floor but feared that it might release some evil power. She couldn't bring herself to do it anyway. She couldn't throw it away or someone else might find it. She didn't know what sort of powers the crystal contained, but from what she saw of Jareth's use of it, it was probably quite dangerous. She would have to keep it with her for now. She couldn't leave it in her room for her stepmother might find it while Sarah was out. Her stepmother still didn't respect her belongings. She took a cloth from her dresser drawer and wrapped it up carefully. Then she placed it in a pouch with a drawstring.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sarah sat in her English class with the crystal close by her side. In fact it was tied around her belt loop. The teacher had been talking all period, about what, she had no idea. She was just a little preoccupied.

"Now class I want you to write a three page essay on one of the topics I've just discussed. It's due next class." Everyone groaned.

_What?_ Sarah thought, _a three page essay on one of the topics he discussed! What were they? And it's due next English class! I really wish we didn't have to write this essay,_ she thought silently.

The teacher suddenly acted as if he had something more to say that he'd forgotten. "Oh, did I mention that this essay is optional for extra marks?" Everyone sighed with relief.

_That's strange._ Sarah thought, but she knew that when a good thing comes along you don't question it.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Next period she had math. The test was so long. She glanced up at the clock. Time was almost up and she wasn't finished yet. _I wish I had more time to finish this test._ She continued working then noticed the bell hadn't rung yet. She looked up again. The clock said she had thirty minutes left. _That's strange. I could have sworn class was almost over. Oh well, at least I'll get the test finished._

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~  
_

After school Sarah was walking home when she realized she had forgotten the book she needed to read for English in her locker. She turned around to head back to the school when she saw Gordy heading towards her. He was the star player of the school football team. All the girls loved him. They thought he was a real hunk. It was true that he was good at football but when it came to brains he was defiantly lacking. He liked Sarah and was always bugging her, trying to get her to go out with him, but she didn't exactly go for the intellectually challenged. Besides she preferred to go out with someone who talked about something other than football.

She turned back around and started walking quickly away. She didn't want to talk to him. _ Oh, I wish I hadn't forgotten my book at school._ She looked down and noticed her book was in her hand with her other books. She could have sworn she didn't have it before.

"Hey, Sarah." She heard Gordy call from behind her as he caught up. She forced a smile and turned to face him.

"Hi, Gordy. What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would walk you home since I don't have football practice today. It would give us a chance to talk."

"Don't you have a test to study for or something?" she asked as nicely as possible.

"Study? I don't study for tests. I don't need to."

"Yah, right," Sarah muttered.

"Did you say something?"

"I said, oh, right." _Man, I wish he would just go away._

Gordy's expression suddenly changed. "Oh, I just remembered I do have football practice. I'll have to walk you home some other time." He took off running back to the school.

_This is getting too weird. _She thought.

Sarah sat in her room trying to finish a project for school tomorrow. Tomorrow was Friday and by the end of the week she was exhausted. She wasn't going to get the project done. She was too tired. She had to go to sleep. _I wish that there was no school tomorrow . . . _She fell into a deep sleep, but it was not deep enough to escape dreams. . .


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was cold and damp. She was running. The screech of an owl from behind her pierced her ears. She ran faster but it was no use, he was closing in. She heard that same demanding voice in her head. _You're mine! _. . .

Then her dream switched and she was in the ballroom again . . . and there was Jareth. He glided over to her.

"Back so soon?" he asked with a cunning smile.

Sarah knew this time that something wasn't right. "I think I should be asking _**you**_ why I'm here."

"Come now Sarah, you're here because you want to be."

Sarah pressed her lips tight together and gave him a look as if that was absurd. She didn't really know what to say. She could try to deny it but what would be the point.

"Well Sarah, since you're here, why don't we dance then? Afterwards you can come with me back to my castle."

"To your castle . . .?" Sarah repeated. She didn't want to know why he wanted her to go there, but she had some ideas and let's just say, she didn't like any of them. "I'll dance with you for a moment but I'm not going back to the castle."

Jareth's smile vanished. "Oh, and why not?"

"I know you Jareth, and I think I would be better off if I didn't go." His eyes burned now and Sarah had to look away from him.

Jareth grasped Sarah's chin and forced her to look into his eyes. His face was too close to hers for comfort. "Don't defy me, Sarah," he whispered, his eyes piercing into her soul. Then without warning, he kissed her before she could do anything to stop him. . . .

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Sarah sat right up. A dream. It was a dream. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, and then breathed deeply. It felt so real. She pressed her fingers to her lips. They felt hot, her cheeks too. It was **too** real. She suddenly remembered she had fallen asleep without finishing her homework. She glanced at her clock. She was late for school. _Why didn't my alarm go off? _ She got dressed and quickly ran down stairs.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Her father and stepmother were sitting calmly at the table eating breakfast. "Why didn't you wake me up?" Sarah asked frantically.

"Wake you up for what?" her father asked.

_What's going on here?_ she wondered. "For school!" she exclaimed.

"There's no school today," her father looked at her worriedly. "It's Saturday."

"What? But yesterday was Thursday so today has to be Friday!"

"Yesterday was Friday. Don't you remember?" asked her father.

"Are you feeling ill?" her stepmother asked.

"Yes, are you sick, sweetheart? Do you have a temperature? Maybe we shouldn't go out today."

"No, no, I'm fine!" she insisted.

"Maybe you had better go lay down." her stepmother suggested. Sarah didn't argue. She needed time to think and get her head straight. "By the way, what have you got in that pouch you've been carrying around lately?" Sarah's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. _The crystal! Of course!_ She ran up to her room without a word.

"Well, I wonder what's gotten into her," her stepmother said.

"I haven't the faintest idea," replied Sarah's father.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The crystal, it had granted all her wishes, the ones she didn't realize she had made. No essay to write, more time for the test, her forgotten book, Gordy, and lastly no school today. _I could get used to this._ Obviously she wasn't limited to three wishes. She had made five already, but unfortunately she had wasted them. She untied the pouch from her belt loop and went over to her dresser. What about the assignment that was due today. She glanced down at her notebook and there printed in large letters across the page it read: DUE NEXT FRIDAY.

She took the crystal out and unwrapped it. She held it in her hands, examining it. _Thanks Jareth for - _Before she could finish that thought another one struck her. _There has to be some sort of catch._ Then, as if on cue, a strong wind blew through her open window. She stepped back as a barn owl swooped into her room. It was just like the one from the dreams that were blocked from her memory, but more importantly it was the same type that Jareth could turn into.

The owl flew around the room once, before landing on the floor near the window. It shifted and changed shape, growing taller and taller until the figure of a man stood before her. He wore tight white pants, a long black cape and a fancy white shirt that hung half open. He also wore a dark purple leather jacket with large, sharp blades protruding from the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. There were also bladed rings on his fingers over the black leather gloves on his hands, as well as blades on the toe of his boots. There were spikes around his wrists, shoulders and elbows too. He wore a necklace with a symbol that Sarah could recognize anywhere. If he was trying to look threatening, it was working.

He tilted his head to the side, and with a cunning smile he greeted her. "Hello, Sarah."

"Jareth," she practically spat his name.

The Goblin King's smile vanished. "Oh, now Sarah is that any way to treat someone who's trying to help you? Did you not enjoy the present I gave you? Though you should have been more careful with it. You were only given five wishes."

"I thought the limit was three."

"Come now Sarah, you should know better than that. Who do you think I am? Disney perhaps?"

Sarah was surprised. Jareth knew more about her world than she gave him credit for. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"Surely you must know. I gave you something, now I would like something in return."

Sarah did know. "What do you want?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, I'll offer you a choice . . ." he paused. "You can come, stay with me in my castle, or you can try to solve the Labyrinth all over again. If you succeed you can leave, but if you fail you will have to remain in the Labyrinth . . . forever."

Sarah knew that she wasn't going to like the options, but this was worse than she imagined. She wasn't going to stay with him in his castle. That was for sure. She would have to face the Labyrinth again and hope she didn't fail. "Then I choose the Labyrinth." Sarah thought she saw a flicker of pain cross his face, but it must have been her imagination.

"Very well then." Jareth stretched his hand forward, and the crystal that Sarah had forgotten was still in her hand drifted from it to Jareth's. Next she found that they were now in the Labyrinth. "You have 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth or you will remain here forever," he said as he began to fade away.

"This shouldn't be too hard. I've already solved it once."

She heard his voice in the air. "Remember the Labyrinth changes . . ." He was gone.

"Great." She remembered the trouble it gave her before. She sighed. "Well I had better get started. I don't want to be stuck here forever."

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Jareth stood alone in his castle, looking out from a window high up, surveying the land and thinking of Sarah. He had been visiting Sarah in her dreams. He wondered why she always dreamt of him as the bad guy. He had to erase those dreams and present himself to her as the man he really could be. She was so much more relaxed and more willing to accept him in her dreams than in real life. He sang softly to himself.

"I think I love her.

Every time I feel fascination

I just can't stand still

I think I love her.

Every time I think

Of what you put me through dear,

Fascination moves,

Sweeping near me

Still I take you.

Fascination, sure enough,

Takes a part of me

Can a heartbeat

Live in the fever raging inside of me?

Fascination, takes a part of me

I can't help it

I think I love her

Every time fascination comes around.

Your soul is calling,

Like when I'm walking,

Seems that everywhere I turn,

I hope you're waiting for me

I know that you think,

That I'm a little crazy,

But pleasure seeks this thing,

I think I like fascination.

Fascination, sure enough,

Takes a part of me

Can my heartbeat

Live in the fever raging inside of me?

Fascination, takes a part of me

I can't help it

I think I love her

Every time fascination comes around.

Fascination, sure enough,

Takes a part of me

Can a heartbeat, my heartbeat,

Live in the fever raging inside of me?

Fascination,

Takes a part of me

I can't help it

I think I love her

Every time fascination comes around . . ."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sarah was making her way through the Labyrinth and overcoming challenge after challenge. She had made her way to a forest portion of the Labyrinth. She looked up from the ground and there was the Goblin King. He wore clothes that were very toned down compared to what she had seen him wear. He was clad in his usual black boots and gloves along with tight black pants and a white shirt. His cloths were full of slashes and rips that made it look as though he had been attacked. The rips that didn't reveal his skin underneath showed red fabric to represent blood. He also wore spiked shoulder armor on one arm, and of course, his necklace. He stood leaning against a tree.

His sudden appearance made her lose her concentration and she nearly tripped. "I don't have time for your games, Jareth," she snapped, upset that he had startled her. She proceeded to walk by him when he grabbed her arm and pulled her close in front of him, **too** close.

"That isn't any way to treat someone who's come to help you, now is it?" He released her arm. "I've come to give you a break from this."

"But –" Sarah began to protest. She didn't want to be stuck with Jareth in the Labyrinth forever, so she had no time to waste talking to him.

"Don't worry. The time I take up won't count." A clock appeared in the air and the hands on it stopped.

Jareth was being surprisingly generous Sarah thought. "What do you want?"

"I want to show you my kingdom."

"I've already seen your kingdom and believe me it's not much to look at."

"I believe you are very wrong about that." He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to guide her through the trees. They came out of the dark forest to where she could see the sun setting.

Sarah gasped. She couldn't believe that such beauty existed in the Labyrinth. It was a sort of clearing in the forest where everything was green. Even the stone benches had turned green from the moss. There was a little waterfall with a river that wound through the clearing. "Jareth, I had no idea . . ." She ran up and sat on one of the benches. Jareth followed and sat next to her. "It's so beautiful." She turned to him.

"I knew you would like it."

"This is all just some illusion. Right? It's just some trick to try and get me to stay here."

"Why won't you trust me?"

"Let me see . . . there's stealing my baby brother, trying to stop me from getting him back any way possible, including threatening others to get them to do what you want, shortening my thirteen hour time limit, erasing my memory, and drugging me for your own selfish pleasures, not to mention nearly killing me on several occasions. Isn't that reason enough not to trust you?" Sarah thought she saw pain flicker across his face.

"First of all," he replied after a moment. "I did only what you asked of me. You asked the child be taken, and I thought it would be in your best interest to have you safely escorted out of the Labyrinth. Besides it wouldn't be fair for you to have help solving it, now would it? I only sped up time because you said that the Labyrinth was too easy, so I gave you a bit of a challenge. As for the peach and my selfish pleasures, I was just giving you a break from your rough journey. Anyway, I think you can agree that your time at the ball wasn't all that bad. Now as for your near death experiences, you don't honestly think that I am so heartless as to have actually let that happen to you. Do you?"

"I don't know Jareth. You haven't given me much reason to believe otherwise."

Jareth was shocked, not to mention hurt to discover that Sarah actually thought he was capable of killing her. What kind of a man did she think he was? "What can I do to make you trust me?"

Sarah didn't answer but instead looked into his eyes, trying to see if there was something there, anything at all that would indicate to her that he indeed had a heart. He stared back into her eyes as if searching her soul. His eyes weren't hard and cold like steel as she remembered them. Instead they were soft and warm. There did seem to be something there . . . a warmth, compassion maybe . . . But just as soon as she detected it, his eyes hardened again.

"Do you like this place, Sarah?" he asked.

She stood up and twirled around, forgetting herself in the loveliness of it all. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked curiously. When she turned, Jareth was standing right in front of her. She hadn't seen him move, or heard him for that matter. He moved silently like an owl, closing in on its prey.

"Don't you know?" he asked in a low voice as he inched closer. He was now standing so close it made her uncomfortable. Her heart began to race. Her breathing deepened so that her chest brushed against his when she inhaled. Her body trembled at his proximity. She couldn't move. His eyes held her in place. He began to sing softly in her ear.

"Me, I'm fresh from your pages

Secret thinkers sometimes listening aloud

Life lies dumb on its heroes

Wear your wound with honour, make someone proud

Someone like you

Should not be allowed

To start any fires

Now your smile is spreading thin,

Seems you're trying not to lose

Since I'm not supposed to grin,

All you've got to do is win

Me, I hope that I'm crazy

I feel you driving and you're only the wheel

Slow down, let someone love you

I've never touched you since I've started to feel

You, you've become so untrusting

You won't let anyone come into your heart

Darling it's true

Listen to me

What can I do?

Now your smile is spreading thin,

Seems you're trying not to lose

Since I'm not supposed to grin,

All you've got to do is win

That's all you've got to do

It isn't over

Now your smile is spreading thin,

Seems you're trying not to lose

Since I'm not supposed to grin,

All you've got to do is win

That's all you've got to do

It isn't over . . ."

Sarah knew he was right. She was so afraid of getting hurt that she wouldn't let anyone get close to her. After he was finished, he rested his gloved hands on her shoulders and felt them tremble as he did. "What are you afraid of, Sarah?" He moved to take a step forward. Sarah didn't think that he could get much closer. She managed to take a step back, but tripped over a rock that was hidden beneath the plant life covering the forest floor. She fell backward towards the river where jagged rocks were visible beneath its clear surface. Jareth moved quicker than lightning and caught her. He steadied her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for –"

"It's okay," Sarah said, shaken by the incident as well as surprised by his apology. "I had better just get back to solving the Labyrinth." She turned to go.

Jareth grabbed her wrist, but not at all rough and demanding. "Wait. Don't go." He looked directly in her eyes. "I truly am sorry. Just stay a little longer."

Something in his eyes made her want to trust him. He had changed a great deal in the short time since her last visit. Apologies were the last thing she would have expected from the Goblin King. She hadn't realized it, but night had fallen upon them. The moon was full and bright in the sky. She wondered if the moon was always full here. Its light made everything in the forest shimmer including Jareth's eyes and his hair looked silver.

He noticed her awe. "Here." He held out his hand to her. "Come with me."

She took his hand despite everything and followed him out of the clearing into the trees. They came through the trees and there was a type of balcony with stone tables and benches. Sarah walked over to the stone railing and looked over. They were right on the edge of a cliff, or a sort of gorge, and on the other side where the land was much lower were only trees as far as she could see. Well, except for the castle in the far distance.

Jareth was behind her now. He put his arm around her waist, which startled her at first, but she let him guide her away from the edge. She noticed she was now wearing a long silver gown covered in sparkling sequins. It hugged the curves of her body. Her hair was done up the way it had been when she was at the ball. He took her hand and led her in a dance as he sang soft and slow, a song that could otherwise get a bunch of teenagers to really move.

"Let's dance,

Put on your red shoes and dance the blues

Let's dance,

To the song I'm singing just for you

Let's sway,

While moonlight shines on your face

Let's sway,

Sway through the forest to an empty space

If you say run, I'll run with you

If you say hide, we'll hide,

Because my love for you,

Would break my heart in two,

If you should fall into my arms,

And tremble like a flower

Let's dance,

For fear your grace should fall

Let's dance,

For fear tonight is all

Let's sway,

You could look into my eyes

Let's sway,

Under the moonlight,

This serious moonlight

And if you say run, I'll run with you

And if you say hide, we'll hide,

Because my love for you,

Would break my heart in two,

If you should fall into my arms,

And tremble like a flower

Let's dance,

Put on your red shoes and dance the blues

Let's dance,

To the song I'm singing just for you

Let's sway,

You could look into my eyes

Let's sway,

Under the moonlight,

This serious moonlight . . ."

His tempo slowed. Sarah who had not been able to take her eyes off his the whole time felt drawn to him now. His face just inches from hers, his warm lips so close. She closed her eyes about to let herself be taken up in the moment. She could feel his sweet breath on her face when she snapped out of it. She jerked back. "No. I uh . . . I uh . . . I have to get back to . . . to solving the Labyrinth," she managed to say, as she stepped rather dizzily back.

Jareth stood with the same disappointed, devastated look on his face that he had at the ballroom when she broke away from him before. He said nothing, but Sarah found herself back in a part of the Labyrinth with stone walls.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A group of goblins gathered secretly in a dark part of the castle. "Now all of you know why I have gathered you here, right?" The leader of the group said.

"Sure, we need to come up with a plan to kill the Goblin King!" A goblin who was not too bright blurted out.

"Shhhh!" The others hissed.

"Be quiet!" said the leader. "We don't want anyone to overhear, especially the King," he added.

"Is this necessary?" A goblin asked shyly and a few others nodded in agreement.

"Of course it is!" shot the leader in response. "The Goblin King isn't fit to rule the Labyrinth anymore. He's become too soft. He doesn't do all the evil things he used to."

"Yeah." The others agreed.

"Our old King chose poorly when he picked Jareth to take his place. We should rule the Labyrinth." The others cheered, forgetting that they should be quiet. "Shhhh!" The leader reminded them.

"But, how are we going to defeat him?" One whispered.

"Yes, how?" another agreed. "He has a lot of power."

The leader thought this over for a moment. "Remember when the old King was in power? A little girl got wished away for the first time and we brought her to the castle."

The others nodded in agreement except for one goblin who shook his head. A goblin beside him struck him on the head. "Oh," he exclaimed then nodded with the others.

"Good," said the leader. "What happened then?"

"The King got very upset," replied one.

"Yeah, he ordered us to keep the child away from him, and then he quickly turned her into a goblin."

"And why was that?"

"Uh, I don't know."

"It was because if a hair from a girl was tied in a circle and placed around the King's neck it would tighten and become unbreakable, with a strange power to prevent it's captor from being able to use his magic." The leader said impatiently.

"Why would it do that?"

"The hair coming from the innocence of a girl prevents the powers of its captor to work."

"So you think it will work on Jareth too?"

"Yes, and it is going to be easier since the King obviously doesn't know about the spell because he let that girl in the Labyrinth before. In fact, she is part of the reason Jareth hasn't been the same."

"But where will we get a hair from a girl?"

"Don't worry about that. That same girl is in the Labyrinth this very moment. We will find her and take a hair from her, then use it to prevent Jareth from using his powers. That way we can get rid of him once and for all and rule the Labyrinth ourselves!"

All the goblins cheered, then parted to find Sarah.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Sarah could see the castle was getting close. She smiled to herself. _Imagine Jareth thinking he could keep me here. _ But then she turned serious. She didn't know how much time she had left and she hoped there weren't too many challenges left. She walked around a corner and found steps leading down to an underground portion of the Labyrinth. She had no choice but to go underground, though she hated the idea. But it was not like the last time she was here. There were rooms made with stone blocks instead of dug out tunnels. She examined her surroundings then gasped. There, standing in the shadows was Jareth. He stepped forward.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Near by, a group of goblins spotted Sarah. "Look there she is. Let's get that hair."

"Wait! Look there's Jareth! We'll have to wait until he leaves." They sat watching in silence.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Jareth wore black as usual. A cape cut at different lengths with a gold maze pattern on it, had what looked like wings which curved up behind his head. He wore no shirt, but had fabric around his shoulders and a strip of fabric that went from a thick bracelet around each arm to one around each wrist. Again he wore his necklace, but this time he had a belt too with his symbol upright and circular pieces of crystal all the way around it. He also wore his usual boots and gloves, as well as a pair of tight black pants. The wings over his head made her feel small and powerless.

"How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" he asked the familiar question with a smile, pretending to forget about what had happened earlier.

"It's a piece –" She fell silent, remembering how it cost her the last time she said the Labyrinth was a piece of cake. After a moment a question popped into her head. "Can I ask you something?"

"Why not. There's no rule against it."

"There isn't?" Sarah said with a smirk then asked her question. "How did you become the Goblin King?" Sarah thought she saw pain cloud his eyes but then there was nothing.

He hesitated. "If you must know . . ." Sarah nodded for him to continue. He looked as if he was recalling a memory he would rather forget. "There were other kings before me you know." Sarah didn't know, for some reason she thought he was the only ruler of the Labyrinth. "They all took babies that were wished away, building their kingdom and searching for a child who had the potential to be their heir. I was one of the many who were wished away. I never knew my parents. I only know that they did not want me. The former King saw that I had the potential to become a great leader, and so when he died, I became the new King. In his passing some of his powers and knowledge were transferred to me."

He paused, then as if he were somewhere else and not belowground with Sarah, absently said, "I asked him once. I asked him about my parents. He struck me then, hard. I'm not sure what with, for he moved so fast I couldn't see. He told me never to ask about them again, for if I did I would get much worse than just one hit. He wouldn't heal the wound he'd made, and I was too young to know how to heal myself. I lay bleeding on the ground in front of him. He sat in his throne and carried on like I wasn't even there. My limited magic ability allowed it to heal slowly over a time." Jareth's eyes now avoided Sarah's for once.

Sarah was taken aback by this discovery. "I . . . I'm sorry. I didn't realize . . ." Feeling sorry for him and sorry that she had brought up the painful subject, she placed her hands on his shoulders.

Jareth looked up at her in surprise. Without giving it much thought, he grabbed her arms, pulled her close, and kissed her.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

The goblins upon seeing this, turned there heads in disgust. "See why we must dispose of him?" One said. The others nodded in agreement. "Let's go. We'll come back later."

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Jareth had a grip like iron and Sarah couldn't break it. The kiss was ten times more powerful than the one in her dream. Every sense was heightened. She began to relax and fell victim to him. He relaxed his grip. Then she realized what she had done and managed to break free of him. "How could you take advantage of me like that?" she yelled burning with anger.

"You're the one who wanted me to kiss you. Don't try to deny it. I could see it in your eyes. You're the one who let me."

"If you can call being grabbed and held, me wanting you to and letting you."

"Just remember Sarah, you can't leave here until you successfully solve the Labyrinth." With that he disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The goblins returned and began planning how they should get the hair from Sarah. "There's no way we can take it without her knowing," one said.

"I suppose we should just go up and ask her then?" said another sarcastically.

"Alright." The dumb goblin said and started after her.

"No! You idiot!" Another goblin grabbed him and hammered him on the head.

The smartest goblin in the group looked around the dimly lit room. All that was lighting it were some torches along the walls. "I have a plan," he told the others, so they all drew close and listened.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Sarah walked slowly through the room. She was burning with anger towards Jareth_. But wasn't it partly my fault, after all, I let it happen? I encouraged him. I shouldn't have laid one finger on him. _ She was so distracted by what had happened that she didn't notice the room was getting darker until it was too late. She was engulfed in complete blackness. She whipped around frantically, straining to see. She heard strange screeching and clanking noises that were getting louder. She tried to run but she couldn't see where she was going. She tripped and fell. The sounds were getting closer until she felt something pull at her hair, ripping some out in the process. She cried out and threw her hands over her head, but what ever it was that had attacked her was leaving now.

Sarah sat in the darkness for a moment, regaining her nerves, then she got to her feet. She held her arms out in front of her and started to walk cautiously forward. After about ten steps her hands brushed against something she realized was a wall. She walked along it to the right until it gave away to a passage. She thought she could see light ahead, so she walked down the passage and to her relief there was. She reached the light of a corridor and the next challenge that faced her was which direction to take. She remembered Hoggle asking her _would you go left or right?_ when she entered the Labyrinth for the first time. That was the question now.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

The group of goblins who had taken the hair cheered as they reached the castle. They ran straight into their leader. "You idiots!" he snarled.

"But boss," the dumb goblin began. "We got the hair."

"What?" he said, shocked that such insolate fools could be capable of pulling it off. "Let me see."

"Show him the hair," the others said.

"Duh . . ." the goblin hesitated.

"You didn't lose it, did you?" the leader whispered threateningly.

"Duh . . ." he tried frantically to remember what he had done with it. "Oh, yeah," he said with relief. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long dark hair.

The leader took it and examined it. "Excellent!" he cried, then tied it a loop. "Now to slip it around his neck."

"Who's neck?" the goblin who had just given him the hair asked.

"The Goblin King's!" shouted another goblin.

"Quiet!" hissed the leader.

"I know, we'll wait until he gets distracted by something, then we'll sneak up behind him and slip it around his neck." suggested one.

"Yeah, how about when he's looking into one of his crystals and we're all gathered around?" another agreed.

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Jareth looked deeply troubled. He was sitting sideways on his throne staring off into space with a gloved hand on his chin. He wore tight green pants, a fancy white shirt with a black leather vest tied tight at the front, and his black boots. His shirt hung half open allowing his necklace to rest on his bare chest. A group of goblins were gathered around him. A couple were polishing his boots. The silence was making them nervous. _No matter what I do I only seem to drive Sarah away. What can I do to make her stop hating me? I should not have pushed __**-**_

"Your highness . . . ?" one of the goblins said cautiously. They all wondered silently what was wrong with their King. He wasn't acting like himself. He seemed preoccupied.

Jareth snapped out of the trance he was in. "What is it?" he asked in a distracted voice.

"Nothing." the goblin whispered shyly. He was expecting the Goblin King to yell at him for disturbing him for no reason, but he didn't. He always yelled at them. Something was definitely wrong.

"Let's see how Sarah's doing, shall we." Jareth said pretending to be his old self. He spun his hand around and a crystal appeared. He gazed into the crystal and there was Sarah. _You're beautiful Sarah. If only you knew what you do to me. What you put me through._

The goblins noticed Jareth's trancelike behavior as he stared at Sarah. If there were any doubts as to whether or not they should do what they were about to, they were all gone now. They crept close behind him and the Goblin King didn't even notice them. One goblin took Sarah's loop of hair, holding it high over his head, he inched towards Jareth. Just then a gust of wind blew the King's long blond hair and at the same time, almost blew Sarah's dark hair right out of the goblin's hand. There was no time left. They had to act quickly. He regained a proper grip on the hair and slipped it over Jareth's head. The spell was activated. The hair expanded at first, then, as it hovered around his neck, the wind seemed to lift the Goblin King's hair out from inside the ring. Sarah's hair tightened around his neck. It became invisible and unbreakable. Jareth's hair settled down around it. All this happened in the blink of an eye.

Jareth shot out of his throne, not really sure what had happened, but he knew something was wrong. He seemed to have no control anymore. The crystal, which normally could stay on the tip of his finger, if he so chose, lost its magic. It fell from his hand to the floor and shattered into millions of tiny pieces. _What's happening to me?_ He felt as if the energy was being drained out of him. Jareth dropped to the stone floor. The tiny specks of crystal crunched beneath his hands and knees. Everything was getting dark . . .


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sarah walked quickly down a corridor. She turned a corner then walked into a wide open room. It was dimly lit but she thought she saw movement at the other end of it. Then, suddenly the room brightened where she had been looking. It took her a moment to make out the figure. When she finally did, she gasped in shock. It was Jareth. He was slouching, chained to the wall. His head was down with his long hair covering his face. Sarah could see that his cloths were tattered and torn. They were stained with dirt and blood. _What had happened to him?_ "Jareth!" she cried and began to run towards him when she stopped a few feet away. _What if this was some kind of trick? _ "Jareth!" she called, angry now that Jareth could think to stoop so low. "Come out. If this is your idea of some kind of sick trap-?" She was cut off by vicious laughing. "Who's there?" she demanded.

"What you see before you is real," said a voice.

"Who are you?"

A goblin stepped out of the shadows, followed by four others. He was taller than most with green skin and a long crooked nose. "I am the new ruler of this Labyrinth."

"What?"

"Hey boss I thought we were all going to rule the Labyrinth."

"Oh yeah, that's right. We are the new rulers of the Labyrinth," he corrected himself.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"We saw that Jareth was not fit to rule the Labyrinth anymore. So we did the only right thing and had him replaced."

"What do you mean he's not fit to rule?"

The goblin sneered in disgust. "He was out of it, distracted by something. He was either moping about the castle or staring off into space. He stopped doing the evil things he used to do. He became too soft and we cannot tolerate that in the Labyrinth. So we did the only honorable thing . . ." The goblin turned to her. "And do you know why he hasn't been himself lately?"

Sarah stepped back shaking her head. _No, it couldn't be._

"Oh yes," he said as if he had read her mind. "You, it's all your fault."

Sarah knew it was true but she didn't want to believe it. She had caused this to happen to Jareth. _He was distracted by me. It is all my fault. _The goblin walked over to

Jareth. He was holding Jareth's riding crop. He placed the end under Jareth's chin and tilted Jareth's head back. Jareth opened his eyes slightly. Sarah could see that they had lost their sparkle.

"Ahh, you're awake."

"Sarah!" he said weakly, realizing that she was here and about to be caught up in this mess. "Get out of here!"

The goblin let his head drop back down, then took the riding crop and struck Jareth's face. Sarah saw a line of bright red blood trickle down his cheek. Jareth hadn't even flinched. Sarah gazed at his beautiful face now streaked with blood, his eyes now dull. It tore her apart. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"And you know what we are going to do about this?" Sarah couldn't bring herself to ask but the goblin told her anyway. "We are going to let you witness Jareth take his last breath. . . then we have something in store for you."

"Grab her!" the leader commanded. Sarah tried to escape, but a goblin rushed her from either side. They grabbed her wrists. She struggled, but they pulled her forward then pushed her to the ground at Jareth's feet. They slapped some cuffs around her wrists so she was chained to the floor and couldn't get up. "On second thought, I have a better idea. Release him."

"But boss –"

"Do as I say!"

"Duh, okay." Two goblins each grabbed an ax and chopped the chains that held Jareth with one stroke. Jareth collapsed to the floor in front of her.

"Now, if you are not as soft as we think you are, then why don't you prove it to us by killing this girl." The leader told Jareth. "Or have everyone in the Labyrinth know that you've just been letting them live in fear of you when really you are no threat at all. It shouldn't be too difficult. It's not as though this young girl could mean anything to you . . . or does she?"

Jareth was standing over her now and the goblins handed him an ax. Tears streamed down Sarah's face. She really didn't know if he would do it or not. She was on her knees, her arms forward with the chains pulled tight, trying to get as far away as she could possibly get from him. Jareth hesitated then felt the sting of a whip across his back.

"Do it!" The goblin urged. "Or face a very painful death." Jareth lifted the ax high above his head. Sarah screamed as he brought it down, then quickly lifted it and brought it down again. He had cut the chains that held her. He was just bringing the ax down on one of the goblins when he was struck in the chest. Having the wind knocked out of him he dropped the ax and doubled over.

"You shall both die together!" A goblin gave them both a shove and they fell to the stone floor. One goblin struck Sarah across the back with a piece of scrap iron. She let out a scream of pain that made Jareth's blood boil with anger. He wouldn't let her be killed even if it meant his death. Seeing her gave him strength. He took off his necklace and put it around her neck.

"I won't let you die," he said softly. He struggled to stand up, but the goblins rushed over with scrap metal, maces, and other assorted weapons in hand and beat him back down. He saw they were going to attack Sarah again, so he managed to quickly place his body over hers and offer as much protection as he could.

Sarah looked into his eyes. "Jareth!" she cried. He looked at her with more pain in his eyes than was humanly thought possible. He realized he was going to die and there was nothing he could do to save her. "I'm sorry Sarah," he said.

"For what?" Sarah asked. She didn't think he could look anymore pained, but she was wrong. The look he was giving her now made her feel as though someone had just stuck a knife through her heart and twisted it.

_I never once told her how I felt about her and now she is going to die thinking I'm some cruel, heartless animal who never cared about anything or anyone but myself. _"I'm sorry for everything. I would never hurt you, Sarah. If only you knew that."

She did know that and now he was going to die for her. _Why_? she wondered. _I knew all along that he loved me, but was too afraid to admit it or to show him anything in return. Why doesn't he hate me for rejecting him?_

The goblins raised their weapons for the final blow. Sarah couldn't let Jareth be killed, but what could she do. "Stop!" she screamed, not thinking that that would make any difference, but to her surprise they did. She still knew she didn't have much time. Ignoring the goblins, she sat up and held Jareth in her arms. She pressed her cheek to his. Her tears mingled with the blood on his face. She whispered in his ear. "It's not over. It's not too late. Use your power Jareth."

"I . . . I can't."

"Why not?" Sarah asked her voice breaking.

"I –" he coughed up blood. "I don't know."

Sarah laid Jareth down gently on the ground. A tear mixed with Jareth's blood ran from her face and fell upon his neck. It landed right on the unbreakable strand of hair. The combination of Sarah's tear and Jareth's blood, which were both given for love of the other, held more power than anything else in the world. The blood stained tear with the power of love ate through the hair like acid. The spell was broken. Suddenly a brilliant light exploded from Jareth's necklace causing the goblins around them burst into flame. They ran screaming out of the room, looking for water to put the fire out.

The only water around was in the Bog of Eternal Stench, so not wanting to burn they jumped in. Shortly afterward, they scrambled out of the bog. It had put the fire out, but now they were all stinking beyond belief. The goblins continued running. They certainly wouldn't be coming back and if they ever did everyone would know it was them who had tortured Jareth and tried to take over the Labyrinth.

Sarah, having been thrown back from the blast of power, slowly rose to her hands and knees. The pain in her back was unbearable now. She crawled over to Jareth who was still lying on the floor, but conscious. Sarah was too worried about Jareth to think about what had just happened. "Jareth!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Shh . . . " he said lifting a gloved hand slowly to caress her cheek. Instead of the cold leather he usually wore his gloves were a soft, warm suede. "Don't cry for me Sarah," he said softly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth under her eye, wiping away her tears. "Now, listen to me, Sarah. I don't know how, but apparently my powers have been released . . . " he trailed off, but then forced himself to continue. " . . . but I'm afraid I don't have enough strength to save myself. The least I can do is heal you."

"What? No, Jareth! You –"

"Listen, there's nothing I can do. You have to face reality." His words stung. Sarah had always tried to escape reality until her first trip through the Labyrinth. She thought she had finally learned to stop doing that. Jareth took off his gloves. A strange thing, but Sarah had never seen him without his gloves on before. "Come here Sarah." Reluctantly she laid front down partially on Jareth. She winced, thinking of how the pain he was experiencing must be a hundred times worse than her own, but there was no other way. He was too hurt to sit up.

Now she knew that he would face this pain over and over again for her. He put his arms around her waist and pulled up her shirt. He slid his hands which were surprisingly warm up her back until he reached the wound. First, she felt a sharp pain that made her bite her lip as he touched it, but then the pain began to ease and soon she didn't feel anything. He had healed her.

"Oh, Jareth!" she cried shifting her weight off him. She bent over him then remembered Jareth's necklace around her neck. She held it up and examined it. It felt hot in her hands. She remembered the power that came from it and now she felt a strange energy around it. _Is Jareth's power in his necklace? Could I use it to save him the same way he used it to heal me?_ The energy she felt flowing through her veins told her that she could. "Jareth, what if I used your necklace to heal you?"

His eyes widened in horror. "You mustn't do that! The magic is far too powerful. It could kill you!" he gasped as a sharp pain shot through his chest. "Sarah . . . " he said weakly. "I have to tell you something . . . "

She knew what he wanted to say. "Shh . . . " She put her finger to his lips to silence him. Then she bent down and kissed him. She poured her heart and soul into this kiss and so did he. When they finally broke apart she said, "I know. I love you too."

He knew now that she knew how he felt, and that she felt the same way towards him. _If only I had another chance. _Jareth thought. _I could start off the right way . . . but now it's too late._ Jareth began to sing.

"All of my life I've tried so hard,

Doing my best with what I had

Nothing much happened all the same

Something about me stood apart,

A whisper of hope that seemed to pale

Maybe I'm born right out of my time,

Breaking my life in two

Throw me tomorrow,

Now that I've really got a chance

Throw me tomorrow

Everything's falling into place

Throw me tomorrow,

Seeing my past to let it go

Throw me tomorrow

Only for you I don't regret . . .

Sometimes I cry my heart to sleep,

Shuffling days and lonesome nights,

Sometimes my courage fell to my feet

Nothing prepared me for your smile,

Lighting the darkness of my soul,

Innocence in your eyes

Throw me tomorrow,

Now that I've really got a chance

Throw me tomorrow

Everything's falling into place

Throw me tomorrow,

Seeing my past to let it go

Throw me tomorrow

Only for you I don't regret . . ."

He finished this song, then sang a couple lines of another. "It's only forever . . . It's not long at all . . . " He closed his eyes as he began coughing. Bright red blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He stopped coughing and lay motionless on the stone floor. He was gone.

Sarah cried as she stared at the bloody mess that was Jareth. She could barely recognize him now. He had lost so much blood. It was everywhere, not to mention all over her. She didn't want to look at him like this, but she couldn't turn her face away. He was like a hunted animal. Like the beautiful owl that he had become to visit her. His snowy, white feathers now stained with blood. His crumpled body lay lifeless on the ground. Sarah realized now that she couldn't live without him. She didn't care what the cost, she had to try and heal him. But would it work now that he was . . . dead? She had to try.

She wiped Jareth's blood from her hands onto her jeans. Then she placed one hand on the cut on his cheek. She felt the power leaving her fingers. The necklace was feeding the energy through her. She lifted her hand away. The gash on his face was gone without a trace, except for some dried blood. "It worked!" she exclaimed. There was hope left. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "Now for the hard part." She opened Jareth's blood stained shirt and gasped at the sight. It was worse than she thought. His chest was covered with bruises and hideous gashes that were swollen and infected. He had to have broken ribs and internal bleeding. _No wonder he couldn't save himself. _Sarah felt sick. She didn't want to touch him, but she had to.

She placed both hands on his chest and poured everything she had into what she was doing. She didn't know how she was doing it, but somehow it seemed to be working. The wounds were sealing up but she didn't know how he was doing internally. She began to feel faint. The healing process was sucking the very life from her. Everything began to get dark, then she fell forward onto Jareth's chest. They lay there together until night fell upon the Labyrinth once again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jareth slowly opened his eyes. He felt no pain, but it was cold, damp and dark. _Is this what death is like? _He tried to sit up, but there was a weight on his chest. It was Sarah. _Is she dead too? _He sat up with his arms around her, holding her up. _I'm not dead! But why? How? _"Sarah." He shook her gently. "Sarah wake up."

She stirred, but remained a little drowsy at first. She felt strong arms around her and she thought she heard Jareth's voice.

"Are you alright?"

Sarah snapped awake and looked up. "Jareth! You're alive! It worked!"

"What happened?"

"Your necklace," She took it off and put it around Jareth's neck.

He stared at her, stunned. She had brought him back from death. Now he had a second chance. Her eyes beamed up at him in their brilliant green. "But you could have been killed!"

"I know," she said, giving him a smile.

He couldn't believe it. She had risked her life to save him. "I . . ." he began, not quite sure what to say, but he didn't have to say anything. They drew together and kissed.

"Let's get out of here." Sarah said. "Come on, you have a Labyrinth to rule."

Jareth had forgotten. All that really mattered to him was Sarah. He stood, then helped Sarah up. "You're right." He decided to test out his powers. He had no idea how dependant he was on them until now. "But first . . ." he said with a cunning smile that Sarah never would have thought she would long to see again. He waved his hand and a crystal appeared. He threw it up into the air and it turned into a bubble. It drifted down towards them and when it got close, they were sucked into it. It drifted off towards the castle . . .

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Sarah was wearing the beautiful ball gown that she had worn when she was here before. Jareth had good taste. The ballroom of the bubble was just as she remembered it, but this time the dancers looked friendly. Their smiles were warm instead of before when they had laughed maliciously at her. The dancers stood back, leaving a path across the room. Sarah's eyes drifted across the floor, then led up a staircase made of glass where Jareth stood at the top.

He wore white satin pants tucked into his black calf boots. He also wore a long cape that was black at the top then gradually changed to white at the bottom. The whole thing shimmered with white glitter that looked like stardust. He wore no shirt, only sleeves that were attached to the cape. He still wore his necklace, of course, and a black belt with his symbol as the buckle, this time turned on its side. He also wore his traditional black gloves.

Jareth walked down the stairs, his stature evident with his grace. He crossed the floor. The onlookers closed the gap behind him. He reached Sarah and without a word they began to dance. He sang to her.

"I've nothing much to offer

There's nothing much to take

I'm an absolute beginner,

But I'm absolutely sane

As long as we're together,

The rest can go to hell

I absolutely love you,

But we're absolute beginners,

With eyes completely open,

But nervous all the same

If our love song,

Could fly over mountains,

Could laugh at the ocean,

Just like the films,

There's no reason,

To feel all the hard times,

To lay down the hard lines

It's absolutely true.

Nothing much could happen

Nothing we can't shake

Oh, we're absolute beginners,

With nothing much at stake

As long as you're still smiling,

There's nothing more I need

I absolutely love you,

But we're absolute beginners,

But if my love is your love,

We're certain to succeed

If our love song,

Could fly over mountains,

Could sail over heartache,

Just like the films

If there's reason,

To feel all the hard times,

To lay down the hard lines,

It's absolutely true."

When they were finished dancing, Jareth led her to a seating area in a lower part of the room. The other dancers dispersed and soon they were alone. They sat on a ring of seats that went around a pit of silken pillows. There was a sweet melody playing in the background. "Sarah, I have to ask you something . . ." he trailed off.

"What is it?" she asked.

Jareth removed his gloves and took her hands in his. The action of removing his gloves seemed to be him letting down some invisible barrier between them. Sarah looked into his gorgeous, mismatched eyes with concern.

"You've changed me. You've brought out the better part of me. Sarah, I need you in my life and I think you need me too. I can't live without you . . . without your sunlight . . . without your heartbeat . . . I love you, Sarah."

Sarah remembered some of his words as part of the song he had sung when she was in the Escher room. They sounded so beautiful now.

Jareth kneeled down beside her. "Sarah, will you stay here with me and be my Queen?"

The question came as a shock to her, although she didn't know why. This is what she wanted, but the reality of it came as a surprise. Suddenly leaving her family and life behind. Not that it had been so great to begin with. Everything was just happening so fast. Her whole life was changing. "There isn't anything I want more. I - - I just need some time. But understand that I do love you too, Jareth." To Sarah's surprise he didn't press.

"I understand." He decided it would be best to give her time and space to decide on her own. "I will leave you to think it over then." He stood up and turned to leave.

"No don't go." She stood up.

He turned and stood before her. She gazed into his eyes. They burned with a raging fire dying to be set free. She knew what he wanted. What he wanted to do, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Now she understood. She could feel his pain, his passion. She rested her hands on his shoulders, and this time she was the one to push. She kissed him, and as she did she slipped her fingers under his sleeves and pushed them back over his shoulders. She moved her hands down his arms and slid off his cape/shirt. He didn't make a move to stop her. Then, he too, put his hands on her bare shoulders. Sarah slid her hands over his back, but then pulled them away when she touched the long, thick, scared line that was bestowed upon Jareth by the former Goblin King. "It's okay," he whispered in her ear and she put her arms around him again. Together, they sank to the floor of soft pillows. Sarah laid down first, then Jareth over her. He was surprisingly gentle and patient with her, but judging from the look in his eyes, she wouldn't have thought that was possible. She pushed him off, then rolled over. She began to pull down her dress.

"No, Sarah," Jareth said. "I can't let you do this."

She stopped. "What's wrong? I thought this was what you wanted."

He sat up and turned away from her, partly because he was ashamed of what he had almost done, and partly for fear of what he still might do if he looked into her eyes.

She stared at his back and could see his bare shoulders trembling beneath his strands of blond hair. She realized it was all he could do to hold himself back. When she thought about it, he had been wished away as a baby. He had had no human interaction. He had never experienced love from another before, and now that he had the chance to, he gave it up. But why?

Jareth regained his composure and turned back to face her with pain filled eyes. "We can't do this."

"Why not?"

"It's not right. I know you love me, and I love you, but that doesn't mean we have to do this. Not now."

"But I want to."

"Sarah, listen you have to be truly ready and think about the consequences. And if you decide you want to marry me you will have to remain here. Remember it's forever. You can't go back."

"I know," she said softly. He stood up. "No, Jareth. Just stay here with me then."

He looked down on her. She was the picture of innocence, untouched. "Here," he said and in an instant she was no longer wearing her gorgeous dress but instead wearing a thin, white, practically see-through gown. It had a tie around the waist and two more around each arm. She examined her new outfit then looked at Jareth. His belt had been removed and he wore black pants that were skin tight but only to just past the knee. Obviously, he wasn't aiming for complete comfort. He still wore no shirt, but kept his necklace around his neck. It seemed as if he wouldn't be complete without it.

He lay down, stretched out on his back and Sarah moved beside him. She took his symbol in her hand as if clutching his very heart, then rested her head on his chest. She fell asleep instantly. Jareth stroked Sarah's head, brushing the hair from her face. Jareth never really slept before, but now he felt so relaxed, so at ease in such a way that he had never felt before, that he closed his eyes and slept as well.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jareth awoke. He slipped out from under Sarah and got up. He stood and looked down at her sleeping peacefully. Really she was so innocent and so young. He knew what the right thing to do was. Though it tore his heart, he knew that if he truly loved her he could wait a few more years and if she felt the same way so could she. He sang softly so as not to wake her.

"When I live my dream,

I'll take you with me,

Riding on a golden horse

We'll live within my castle,

With people there to serve you,

Happy at the sound of your voice

Baby, I'll slay a dragon for you,

Or banish wicked giants from the land,

But you will find,

That nothing in my dream can hurt you

We will only love each other,

As forever when I live my dream

When I live my dream,

I'll forgive the things you told me,

And the empty man you left behind

It's a broken heart that dreams

It's a broken heart you left me

Only love can live in my dream

I'll wish and the thunder clouds will vanish,

Wish and the storm will fade away,

Wish again and you will stand before me,

While the sky will paint an overture,

And trees will play the rhythm of my dream

When I live my dream,

Please be there to meet me

Let me be the one to understand

When I live my dream,

I'll forget the hurt you gave me,

Then we can live in our new land

Till the day my dream cascades around me,

I'm content to let you pass me by

Till that day you'll run to many other men,

But let them know it's just for now

Tell them that I've got a dream,

And tell them you're the starring role

Tell them I'm a dreaming kind of guy,

And I'm going to make my dream

Tell them I will live my dream

Tell them they can laugh at me,

But don't forget your date with me,

When I live my dream."

_L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L_

Sarah found she was back in her own bed and in her own clothes. _Was it all just a dream?_ Then she felt something in her hand. She looked down. It was Jareth's necklace. He had given it to her. She knew what it meant. He loved her and he would see her again soon, but until then he could wait. She knew how hard it must have been for him to let her go, but if he could do that for her, the least she could do was try to be patient and wait for him to come again. After all it's only a few years . . . it's only a few years . . . its only forever, it's not long at all . . . . . . .

The End (For Now) Please Review.

To find out what happens next read THE UNFOLDING TRUTH. When it comes time for Sarah to return to the Labyrinth and become Jareth's bride, Jareth discovers the shocking truth about his past. Everything that he believed turn out to be lies. Now that he is more afraid than ever that the darker side of him will put Sarah's life in danger, can Sarah persuade him to take the next step?


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